Wrench



March 5 1946. J. R. DONAHOE WRENCH Filed July 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 u T m m INVENTOR.

JOSEPH R. DONAHOE BY a: QR

March 5 1946. J. R. DONAHOE WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fild July 24, 1943 Patented Mar. 5, 1946 WRENCH Joseph R. Donahoe, Narrows, Va., assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Applicatin July 24, 1943, Serial No. 496,010

2 Claims.

This invention relates to wrenches, and relates more particularly to wrenches operated by pneumatic means.

An object of this invention is the provision of a novel wrench adapted to be operated by pneumatic means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pneumatic wrench particularly adapted to tighten a spinning jet assembly.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pneumatic wrench for tightening spinning jet assemblies having means for ejecting the assem-- bly upon completion of the tightening arrangement.

Other objects of this invention, together with certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will appear from the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein preferred embodiments of my invention are shown,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the wrench of my invention fitted into a table top,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the wrench of my invention, the table top supporting the same being broken away to show a portion of the cylinder,

Figure 3 is a detail view, taken along line 33 in Figure 1, of the pedal control means,

Figure 4 is a detail view, in section, of the spinning jet assembly for the tightening of which my novel wrench is particularly designed,

Figure 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a modified form of my invention, in which a four-way valve is employed,

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the pneumatic wrench shown in Figure 5, the table top being broken away to show a portion of the cylinder,

and

Figures '7 and 8 are sectional detail views of the four-way valve employed as the control valve in my invention.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

While the device of my invention may have many applications as a wrench for tightening articles of various shapes and sizes, it will be described as a wrench for tightening a spinning jet assembly such as that shown in Figure 4. The jet assembly comprises a hexagonalnut 9 having a shoulder I and internal threads I2. The shoulder is adapted to receive a gasket I3 and the flange I4 of a jet I 5. A second gasket I6 is placed on the flange of the jet and an apertured retaining nut, generally indicated by reference numeral I1, having an enlarged, screw-threaded annular portion I8 and a hexagonal shank I9 is screwed into nut 9 to hold all of the component parts of the jet assembly firmly in position. The shank H) has an enlarged screw threaded aperture for receiving a candle Heretofore, a large torque wrench was employed for tightening the jet assembly. The use of the torque wrench for the tightening operation not only unduly lengthened the operation but also required the strength of a man to perform the same. The wrench of my invention may be operated satisfactorily by a woman.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 3 for a detailed description of one form of my novel wrench, there is shown a table or platform 2| carried on supports 22 fixed to the floor 23 and to the table by means of bolts 24. The table is provided with a circular opening 25 underneath and across which is a plate 26 of any suitable material, such as metal, attached to the table 2|. The plate is provided with an opening 2'1 hexagonal in shape and of a size to receive nut 9. This nut being larger than the hexagonal shank I9 of the retaining nut II permits the latter to pass through, as is shown in Figure 1.

Fixed to the underside of plate 26, as by bolts 28, is an anti-friction bearing generally indicated by reference numeral 29. A second anti-friction bearing 3| is formed in a U-shaped bracket 32 also attached to plate 26 by bolts 33. A gear 34 having integral extensions or hubs 35 and 36 is journaled in bearings 29 and 3 I. Hub 36 is formed in its upper surface with a hexagonal depression 36' of a size to receive the hexagonal shank |9 of the retaining nut. The gear 34 and hubs 35 and 36 have an opening 31 extending therethrough for the reception of an ejector pin 38, a portion of said opening being enlarged, as shown at 39, for receiving an ejector spring 4| between head 42 on pin 38 and threaded plug 43 which is screwed into the opening 39 to maintain the ejector means in the openings. Annular shoulder 44 in enlarged opening 39 limits the upper movement of head 42.

Gear 34 is rotated by means of a rack 45 which is attached to the end of a piston rod 46 motivated by pistons 41 in cylinder 48, fixed to table 2| by means of bolts 49, by compressed air. The compressed air is supplied from any suitable source through conduit 5| which conducts the air to a four-way control valve 52 operated by a foot-pedal 53 and having an exhaust 53, the valve being connected to the cylinder 48 by means of conduits 54 and 55. A pressure reducing valve 56 and a gauge 51 are mounted in conduit 5|.

Means are provided for maintaining the rack 45 in contact with gear 34, said means comprising two idler rollers 58 journaled on pins 59 on a U-shaped bracket 6! fixed to plate 26.

In operation of my pneumatic wrench, the spinning jet assembly comprising the hexagonal nut 9, gaskets l3 and I5, jet [5 and retaining nut H are loosely assembled and placed in the wrench so that the hexagonal shank [3 of retaining nut l1 enters hexagonal opening 36 in hub 36 and hexagonal nut 9 enters opening 21 in plate 26. The operator holds the assembly down by hand, thus depressin pin 38 and compressing spring 4]. The operator now depresses foot-pedal 53 of the control valve 52 causing the compressed air to enter the cylinder 48 to operate the rack 45 thus rotating the gear 34 to tighten the spinning jet assembly, the operator removing the hand from the assembly as soon as the tightening operation is initiated. Rack 45 should, of course, be long enough to rotate the gear 34, and thereby hub 35, a sufficient distance to efiect the tigh ening operation.

The pressure reducing valve 58 in air supply conduit 5! is at a convenient point so that the pressure and resultant torque applied by the wrench may conveniently be adjusted. The pressure gauge 51 is positioned in front of the operator to give a convenient means of checking when the full pressure has been applied, as there is a momentary delay between the opening of the control valve 52 and the time the pressure against the pistons in the cylinder is built up to the full value set. This is registered upon the gauge in the form of an abrupt pressure drop as control valve 5?. opens, followed quickly by the building up of pressure to the full set value.

At the end of the piston stroke the piston is caused to reverse carrying with it the rack 45. At the moment the wrench starts to reverse, the grip on the work is released and the spring 4! acting on pin 38 ejects the now tightened spinning jet assembly.

In the modification shown in Figures 5 to 8, means are provided for positively ejecting the tightened jet assembly, said means comprising a cylinder attached to U-shaped bracket 32 in which c; 'nder piston 63 is adapted to operate by means of lid pressure The piston has attached thereto a piston rod 84 which acts as an ejector pin to remove the ightened jet assembly. The piston rod 5 is provided with a collar 65 which acts, in its ejecting movement, against the action of a spring 85, the spring returning the piston to its lowermost position when the air pressure has been removed from the ejecting operation. To control the air pressure supplied to the cylinder 48 for the tightening operation and to the cylinder 64 for the ejecting operation there is provided a four-way valve 51, the operator operating the control valve in the desired sequence of operations by a foot-pedal 68 through a lever arrangement generally indicated by reference numeral 69. A suitable conduit arrangement, generally indicated by reference numeral H, is provided to connect the cylinders 48 and 62 with the control valve 61 which in turn is connected to the compressed air upply through conduit 5|.

The table, immediately adjacent the wrench, may be provided with a shield for preventing an ejected jet assembly from rolling off the back of the table.

If desired, means may be provided for giving a visible or audible signal, such as an electric light bulb or a bell, when the rack has reached the end of an operating stroke.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for tightening spinning jct assemblies, the combination with a table having an opening therein, of a stationary plate having an opening therein, a movable member having an opening therein journaled below said plate, said openings being in alignment with each other and shaped to correspond to the elements of the jet being operated upon, a gear on said movable member, ejector means carried by said movable member, a rack meshing with said gear and phermatic means for selectively operating said rack and said ejector means.

2. In a device for tightening spinning jet assemblies, the combination with a table having an opening therein, of a stationary plate having an opening therein, a movable member having an opening therein journaled below said plate, said openings being in alignment with each other and shaped to correspond to the elements of the jet being operated upon, a gear on said movable member, ejector means carried by said movable member, a rack meshing with said gear, pneumatic means for selectively operating said rack and said ejector means and a valve for controlling the operation of said pneumatic means.

JOSEPH R. DONAHOE. 

